Hansen
Before Scion’s horrible boring death they liked to send out special limited editions of their quirky and youthful examples. There were so many that the last one to come out before the brand got the axe was the Scion TC Series 10.0. Each series came in special paint jobs with unique body kit and exhaust modifications that only a Scion connoisseur could tell them apart. They were all quite decent looking to be perfectly honest. They were not egregiously ricey but tasteful enough as to not offend your girlfriend’s dad when you roll up at her house.
Maybe Subaru took a page out of Scion’s playbook when they released the Series.Yellow (a follow up to 2015 Series.Blue). The BRZ is a delightful car to thrash around. We’ve driven the Scion version, the FRS, in the past and we thought it has all the makings of a future classic. With this special edition Series.Yellow release of just 500 units, Subaru has made the statement that this one is truly limited, special, and truly better than your run-of-the-mill BRZ/FRS/GT86/86. Did we also mention it’s yellow?
The Series.Yellow focuses on handling improvements by substituting the BRZ stock hardware brakes with a Brembo Performance Brake System and utilizing a SACHS Performance shocks. Subaru might have missed an opportunity here by not incorporating a more generous power bump in the Series.Yellow besides the 5 horsepower increase for 2017 models. But let’s be honest here, most BRZ/FRS/GT86/86 owners already have their own master plans for POWERRRR, perhaps even before they took delivery. Maybe this is ToyoBaru’s method of creating a cult car: make people angry enough so they end up making beasts out of their tiny little two door rear-wheel drive sports car. This time they just made sure the suspension and brakes are ready for whatever their customers will throw at it. I see what you did there, Subaru, well played.
Subaru Press Release:
CHERRY HILL, N.J., June 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Subaru of America, Inc. today announced the 2017 BRZ Series.Yellow, the most exciting BRZ to date with its striking color and performance upgrades. The special edition, limited to only 500 cars, will debut today at Wicked Big Meet in Stafford Springs, CT.
The Series.Yellow is immediately recognizable by its brilliant yellow exterior, unique black alloy wheels, black BRZ and SUBARU badging, and black foldable exterior mirrors. Based on the 2017 Limited model equipped with the new Performance Package, the Series.Yellow enhances a driver’s experience with superior stopping power and control. The brake system has been upgraded to Brembo® four-piston calipers and rotors on the front and dual-piston calipers and rotors on the rear. This advanced system gives the yellow sports coupe a significant boost in stopping power, fade resistance, and pedal feel. SACHS® Performance shock absorbers have been added to all four wheels for advanced handling and steering stability. Also the special edition comes equipped with 17-in x 7.5-in black aluminum alloy wheels.
The Series.Yellow offers black leather and Alcantara upholstery with contrasting yellow stitching throughout the interior including seats, door and dash panels, steering wheel, knee pads and shifter boot. The front seatbacks are also embroidered with a yellow BRZ logo. The final touch for this model is the carpeted floor mats with yellow stitching and a silver embroidered BRZ logo.
Performance
The BRZ, known for its ultra-low center of gravity and precision handling, offers several updates for 2017 to increase performance on the track and open roads. For improved responsiveness, BRZ receives updated coil springs and a larger rear stabilizer bar and the Series.Yellow gains the additional upgrade of SACHS Performance shock absorbers. Reinforcements to the chassis were added to the strut tower braces, transmission cross-member plate and the rear wheel housings to increase rigidity. The stability control system has been updated to allow the driver to experience more of BRZ’s handling prowess. The results are dramatic enough for Subaru to change the name of “Sport” mode to “Track”.The BRZ Series.Yellow comes standard with the 2.0-liter SUBARU BOXER engine and 6-speed manual transmission. Enhanced for 2017, BRZ’s horizontally-opposed engine receives several internal updates for friction reduction as well as a new aluminum intake manifold and redesigned exhaust manifold. These combined improvements boost the engine output to 205-hp and 156 lb-ft of torque. Also, a lower final drive ratio from 4.1 to 4.3:1, paired with the standard Torsen® limited-slip differential, improves acceleration.
Exterior Updates
For 2017, the BRZ front bumper cover has been redesigned for a widened appearance and positioned lower for improved aerodynamics, control, and stability. The sport coupe’s headlights are upgraded to “kono-ji” style LED with Daytime Running Lights (DRL). The turn signal and position light have been integrated into the new headlight for a clean design that completes the refined front fascia. New LED fog lights allow greater nighttime visibility and are standard on the Series.Yellow. The updated fender garnish matches the body color but with a black insert that accentuates it in profile.All 2017 BRZ models receive a pedestal-style aluminum rear spoiler in matching body color and black finish. The new design improves the vehicle’s downforce, which in turn improves stability and control. As with the headlights, the rear combination lights have been updated to full-LED for better visibility and energy efficiency.
Interior Updates
Standard for the special edition is a 4.2-in LCD multifunction display positioned to the right of the prominent tachometer. This driver information readout provides access to vehicle performance including lateral Gs, accelerator pedal position, braking force, steering angle, oil and water temperature, and battery voltage as well as an integrated stop watch for recording lap times. The redesigned leather-wrapped steering wheel has a firmer, sportier feel along with new audio controls and multifunction display switches for greater control and convenience while driving.All 2017 BRZ models come standard with the SUBARU STARLINK™ 6.2″ Multimedia System that includes a comprehensive list of features:
- 6.2-in. high resolution multi-function touch screen display
- AM/FM stereo and HD Radio®
- Single-disc in-dash CD player with 8 speakers
- Subaru STARLINK smartphone integration with Pandora® and Aha®
- Subaru STARLINK apps including iHeart® Radio and Stitcher™
- Bluetooth® hands-free phone connectivity and audio streaming
- SiriusXM® Satellite Radio
- Rear vision camera
Also standard on this model is a dual-zone automatic climate control, Keyless Access with Push-Button Start, dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors, and front door courtesy lights.
The BRZ Series.Yellow makes its first public appearance at one of the country’s largest Subaru enthusiast festivals, Wicked Big Meet, which is held at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, CT on June 12th. The Series.Yellow will arrive at retailers in 2017.
(Source: Subaru)
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